Electric vehicles include vehicles having an electric motor for vehicle propulsion, such as battery electric vehicles (BEV), hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV). A BEV includes an electric motor, wherein the energy source for the motor is a battery that is re-chargeable from an external electric grid. A HEV includes an internal combustion engine and an electric motor, wherein the energy source for the engine is fuel and the energy source for the motor is a battery. A PHEV is like a HEV, but the PHEV has a larger capacity battery that is rechargeable from the external electric grid. Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are used in BEV, HEV, and PHEV due to their high voltage, high specific energy, high energy density, low self-discharge rate, long cycle life and wide temperature operational range. A separator is generally placed between an anode and a cathode of the Li-ion battery. The separator prevents physical contact of the two electrodes (e.g., internal short circuits), while still allowing for rapid transportation of ionic charge carriers between the cathode and anode.